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Shezarrine
A Shezarrine is an influential and sometimes god-like figure who is believed to be a mortal incarnation of the "Missing God", Lorkhan, or one of his aspects. Several of these individuals are believed to have appeared throughout the history during varying time periods. The term "Shezarrine", is derived from the Cyrodiilic aspect of Lorkhan, Shezarr, and was first used in reference to Pelinal Whitestrake in the Song of Pelinal books. Many famous individuals throughout the Tamrielic history are believed to actually have been Shezarrines. Creation The Shezarrines are believed to have first start coming into existence after the defeat of Lorkhan in the closing of the Dawn Era. Auriel and Trinimac, who were unable to destroy Lorkhan's Heart, instead decided to hide it were they thought no being would ever find it.The Monomyth The Heart was thrown to Nirn and where it landed the Red Mountain formed.[http://www.imperial-library.info/content/nu-mantia-intercept-letter-4 Nu-Mantia Intercept, Letter #4] Though Lorkhan's body was destroyed,The Lunar Lorkhan his soul wasn't due to the presence of his Heart on Nirn, and he was instead forced to walk the mortal realm.Varieties of Faith in the Empire It is believed that whenever a Shezarrine appears, Lorkhan is actually physically walking Nirn. This is reflected through the Yokudan and Khajiit beliefs of Lorkhan's fate which state "We curse you, noisy Lorkhaj, to walk Nirni for many phases."Words of Clan Mother Ahnissi and "Sep could only slink around in a dead skin, or swim about in the sky, a hungry void that jealously tried to eat the stars." Other theories believe that Shezarrines are actually champions of Lorkhan, purposefully sent by him, or one of his aspects, for specific tasks that require them on Nirn. It is believed that these champions can be brought back to the mortal realm more than once. Pelinal Whitestrake, for example, was said to return to Nirn at some point.The Adabal-a It is possible that Lorkhan's avatars may have been a result of his own purposeful failure at CHIM,More on the Psijic Endeavor as Mankar Camoran's teachings state that CHIM is a way in which gods can revert themselves into mortal form.Mythic Dawn Commentaries 3 Known Shezarrines Pelinal Whitestrake Pelinal Whitestrake was a hero of the Alessian Slave Revolts that occurred during the early years of the First Era, The Song of Pelinal, Book I and is probably both the first and most conspicuous of the Shezarrines. Pelinal's ties to Lorkhan were obvious, hard evidence coming from lines found in The Song of Pelinal stating that Pelinal was born into the world by the god Sithis and that he had no heart at all, which are both factors that reflect Lorkhan; this supports the fact that Pelinal was as the books say, a "Myth-Echo" of Lorkhan.The Song of Pelinal, Book VI It was even said that the Nords of Falkreath had mistaken Pelinal for their dead god Shor (the Nordic aspect of Lorkhan) at the Bridge of Heldon.The Song of Pelinal, Book IV Despite his clear connections to Lorkhan, Pelinal denied all claims of his ties to the god, and killed all who spoke of "god-logic" in his presence (save for Alessia). In some cases, those who claimed him of being a Shezarrine were suspiciously smothered by moths in their sleep.The Song of Pelinal, Book V Other evidence that can associate Pelinal's divine connection is the claims that he was either immortal or reincarnated many times as separate entities, i.e, Harrald Hairy Breeks, Ysmir, Hans the Fox.Before the Ages of Man The Pelinal that helped Alessia's slave revolts was actually known as Pelinal "the Third", for reasons speculated as being that he was incarnated twice before. Pelinal was said to have roamed Tamriel since the Merethic Era never staying in one place for very long, which implies he was immortal. It is also said that held in the twelfth vault of the Library of Dusk lies a rare tome known as the "Conversations with the Heart of Lorkhan" which was supposedly written by Pelinal himself and disclosed the nature of the Aurbis.The Library of Dusk: Rare Books Zurin Arctus Zurin Arctus has been confirmed to be a Shezarrine,[http://www.imperial-library.info/content/forum-archives-michael-kirkbride Lorkhan and his avatars: MK's Posts] but evidence backing this is less distinct as that surrounding Pelinal Whitestrake. Zurin Arctus was an Imperial Battlemage during the beginning of the Septim Empire.The Arcturian Heresy One piece of evidence that supports that Zurin Arctus was in fact a Shezarrine was a particular quote of Mannimarco's that listed Zurin Arctus amongst other Shezarrines, i.e, Pelinal and Ysmir, as beings who were able to recall where they were during the Middle Dawn Dragon Break. The quote also refers to Zurin as "Arnand the Fox", "The Fox" being a title known to be used by other Shezarrines (Hans the Fox), as it was even said that Pelinal would be reborn as a "fox". Mannimarco's reference to Zurin also implies that like Pelinal, Zurin was either immortal, or incarnated more than once, this is because Middle Dawn took place roughly 2700 years before Zurin's actual role during the creation of the Septim Empire.Where Were You When the Dragon Broke? Other evidence includes Zurin's claim that he removed his own heart to create the Mantella that would power the Numidium.Letter from the Underking A lack of a heart is a recurring factor when regarding a Shezarrine, due to the ties it draws to the god Lorkhan, who lost his own heart. A skeptical, but noteworthy piece of evidence could be found with Zurin Arctus' creation, the "Dragonbone Mail". It is said that this great armor piece Zurin enchanted was unable to stay in one place for extended periods of time.Tamrielic Lore This statement can be alluded to Lorkhan, as Lorkhan is said to be more of a limit than a nature and "could never last long anywhere". This same connection can be found in Pelinal who was known to wander Tamriel gathering armies, conquering kingdoms, then leaving to wander again; never staying in the same place for too long. Hjalti Early-Beard Hjalti Early-Beard was a man native to the city of Alcaire in High Rock. He is heavily associated with the two Shezarrines Zurin Arctus and Ysmir Wulfharth. Though Hjati Early-Beard is often considered to be a name synonymous with Talos or Tiber Septim, in actuality, these two names are believed to only refer to Hjalti's connections with his fellow Shezarrines, Zurin Arctus and Ysmir Wulfharth. While there is little info actually surrounding the individual Hjalti, and in turn little evidence of Hjalti actually being a Shezarrine; it has been stated that Hjalti was an avatar of Lorkhan. Wulfharth Ysmir Wulfharth was a Nordic High King of Skyrim during the early First Era. He is heavily connected to the Nordic aspect of Lorkhan, Shor, and is a known Shezarrine. During his reign, as king of Skyrim he was referred to as "Shor's Tongue" for his intense zealotry in the re-institution of the Nordic faith. At one point during Wulfharth's kingship, the evil Nordic god Orkey had supposedly summoned the ghost of Alduin to eat the lifespans of the Nords. Wulfharth pleaded to Shor to save them and the ghost of Shor answered his calls fighting Alduin, as Lorkhan fought Akatosh at the end of the Dawn Era, and defeating him. In the fight, Wulfharth learned how to use a Thu'um with the capabilities of manipulating the Time-God itself, but in the process of using this shout to fix the Nordic people, Wulfharth died.The Five Songs of King Wulfharth It should be noted that other sources claim that it was actually Shor that removed the curse from the Nords, which could imply that people actually mistook Wulfharth for Shor.Varieties of Faith in the Empire After his death, Shor's ghost "remade" Wulfharth to be a general in his army to reclaim the Heart of Lorkhan at Red Mountain, similar to how Pelinal was said to be reborn. After Shor was defeated at Red Mountain, Wulfharth was said to have had trouble keeping his own form (once again reinforcing his connection to the God). This is followed by the matter of Wulfharth's heart being used to power Numidium. Not only does Wulfharth's loss of his heart reflect Lorkhan's tragic fate, but the fact that the Numidium was specifically created to be powered by the Heart of Lorkhan is undeniable evidence that Wulfharth is a Shezarrine. Other evidence that Wulfharth is a Shezarrine comes from a quote he says; "Don't you see where you really are? Don't you know who Shor really is? Don't you know what this war is?". This quote is actually him referring to the fact that the Battle of Red Mountain was taking place during the Red Moment Dragon Break.[http://www.imperial-library.info/content/michael-kirkbride-irc-qa-sessions MK IRC Q&A] This points to Wulfharth being a Shezarrine, as Shezarrines are one of the few beings who are actually able to comprehend a Dragon Break. Shezarrine Oversouls The Shezarrine Oversouls are believed to be mixtures of Shezarrine souls created in a manner similar to the birth of the known universe, that being when Anu and Padomay birthed their own souls to create Anui-El and Sithis which morphed together to form the new separate entity known as the Aurbis, this being what is known as the Enantiomorph.[http://www.imperial-library.info/content/tower ...The Tower] The Mortal Talos The individual known as Talos Stormcrown, or General Talos, is believed to be the combined oversoul of Wulfharth and Hjalti Early-Beard. The reason why the Stormcrown is believed to be a mixture between these two Shezarrines is because of Wulfharth's visit to Hjalti at the Battle of Old Hroldan. During his visit, Wulfharth spoke with Hjalti and helped him destroy the walls of Old Hroldan, it is also implied, though not directly stated, that Hjalti's Thu'um was actually the work of Wulfharth. This is seen through quotes that state that Hjalti actually lied about his throat being cut as a means to excuse his inability to use the Thu'um after the Battle of Old Hrol'dan. However, at Old Hroldan, Ysmir takes the form of a storm which guards Talos from the Reachmen arrows, and Talos shouts down the walls himself. Seeing as Wulfharth states that Hjalti was never a Tongue, this implies Talos, who is normally believed to be Hjalti, may have actually been a third individual. Despite this Wulfharth is never actually recorded as ever being physically present during any of Talos' conquests save for the The Arcturian Heresy.Battle of Sancre Tor This could mean that Wulfharth was either pretending to be Hjlati, or the two were acting as one man. Other notable information is that Wulfharth often acted as a double for Tiber Septim so that it could appear that he was conquering and governing at the same time, seemingly meaning that Wulfharth was, or had the ability to look, identical to Tiber Septim. Talos Stormcrown was also the entity that was given the title "Ysmir" by the Greybeards, a title which was originally held, and almost completely associated with, Wulfharth.Dialogue of Arngeir Other evidence which implies that the Stormcrown was a mixture between these two people is that the individual "Talos" is claimed to be from the frozen continent of Atmora, despite the fact that Hjalti, who is normally considered to be Talos, was actually born in Alcaire.Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition/Cyrodiil''Dialogue of ''Hrongar However, it is known that Wulfharth was in fact born in Atmora.Rislav The RighteousWulfharth's plaque in Windhelm While it could be said that Hjalti was merely claiming to be an Atmoran as a form of potent propaganda, an image made by ex-developer Michael Kirkbride, heavily implies that Talos was truly a, supernatural, native to Atmora. Talos Stormcrown, like Tiber Septim, has also been said to have multiple heads. He was referred to as the "Many-Headed Talos" during his use of CHIM to remove the jungles of Cyrodiil, seemingly implying he is multiple people.From The Many-Headed Talos Tiber Septim Tiber Septim is confirmed to be the oversoul mixture of Talos Stormcrown and Zurin Arctus,[http://www.imperial-library.info/content/interviews-skeleton-man Skelton Man's Interview with the Denizens of Tamriel] which was most likely formed after Zurin Arctus crowned Talos as the Emperor "Tiber Septim" after he conquered the Imperial City. Arctus and Talos supposedly joined together as one in order to fortify the throne and protect both Cyrodiil and its people.Dialogue of The Prophet (Oblivion) The oversoul created from Talos and Arctus was collectively referred to as "The Enantiomorph" by some. Other evidence that the individual Tiber Septim is actually the oversoul of two people can be found in The Real Barenziah. After Tiber kisses Barenziah, he is agitated by his own action and strangely begins referring to himself using words that would normally be used in a plural sense; such as"we", "our", and "us", instead of "I", "my", and "me".'The Real Barenziah, Book III' This is possibly hinting that Tiber Septim is comprised of two people. Though this could just be usage of what is known as a Royal we. However, it should also be noted that this strange use of plural words is not present in the version of the book, in which Tiber refers to himself in the proper singular form. This could imply that if it is a "royal we", it may have a secret meaning, that being that Tiber Septim is comprised of multiple people, as Tiber Septim was never referred to as a god until .The Real Barenziah (Daggerfall)'' Tiber Septim is also alluded to being more than one person in the 36 Lessons of Vivec where he is referred to as the "two-headed" king. The Two-heads seem to be referring to both Talos and Arctus being Tiber Septim. This concept appears to be reflected by the Two-Headed Septim that is seen in , which depicts a seemingly normal gold piece, but with both sides depicting the head of Tiber Septim. The Underking The identity of the Underking has been contested between the two beings Ysmir Wulfharth, and Zurin Arctus. Wulfharth claims to have been the Underking since his awakening to defend Tamriel from the Kamal Invasion, but Arctus claims to have become the Underking after his betrayal at the hands of Tiber Septim. It is suspected that like Tiber Septim, the Underking is a the result of the Shezarrine souls of Arctus and Wulfharth mixing to become a single oversoul. This is supported by the fact that the Mantella was believed to be made from Zurin Arctus' heart (though possibly Tiber Septims') and used to hold Wulfharth's Heart. The existence of both Wulfharth's and Zurin's hearts being contained in the Mantella and the Underking's wish to be reunited with his Heart implies that the Underking could have been a mixture of the two. Another notable quote from the Arcturian Heresy states that, with his last breath, Ysmir Wulfharth's heart roars a hole into Arctus' chest, killing him. With the loss of both their Hearts possibly implying some unity between the two. However, this pairing is not as likely as the above two oversouls, as certain situations regarding the Underking seems to imply that both Zurin and Wulfharth were both separate individual Underkings, most notably the events after the destruction of Numidium. When Numidium was defeated by the Underking, it was said that Arctus-Underking went into a period of semi-slumber in a subterranean vault to due to his loss of the Mantella, and did not wake up until the events of .The Daggerfall Chronicles (Narrative here)Anonymous Letter (Daggerfall) However, Wulfharth-Underking claims that directly after Tiber Septim's death, he became a secret adviser for his grandson Pelagius Septim. Also during the Blood of the Divines quest, it was said that Zurin cursed a group of Blades Tiber Septim sent to his shrine in Sancre Tor, despite the fact that he was in a comatose state during the time, and that Zurin's followers have stated that he wished no harm against any of the Blades.Dialogue of an Agent of the Underking; Stronghold of the Blades Quest It has been implied before that there are multiple Underkings.[http://www.imperial-library.info/content/michael-kirkbride-reddit-ama Michael Kirkbride - Reddit AMA] Apotheosis of Talos The God Talos, and his deification, has been speculated and challenged by many of Tamriel's inhabitants. Some claiming that he was so great in life that the gods ascended him to the heavens and made him a god.Dialogue of Heimskr, and others claiming he isn't a god at all.Dialogue of Ondolemar''Dialogue of ''Elenwen Talos, as a god, is believed to actually be either the Shezarrine oversouls, Talos Stormcrown, Tiber Septim, and the Underking, or their more-likely base forms (i.e Hjalti, Zurin, and Wulfharth) combined into a new oversoul through a process known as the Enantiomorph. This combined soul was so identical to Lorkhan that it was actually able to mantle his place in the Aurbis. This quote states that Talos became a god by mantling through the fourth walking way, which is commonly believed to be the Enantiomorph. Due to Talos' already heavy connection to the god Lorkhan through his multitude of Shezarrine souls, and mantling requiring one to be so similar to a god that "they must walk like you", it can already be assumed that Talos mantled Lorkhan. Other evidence that appears to hint that Talos mantled Lorkhan is his statue that appears in which depicts him overshadowing a serpent,Events of a symbol commonly used to represent Lorkhan.The Monomyth It is also seen in Michael Kirkbride's, C0DA, that Talos transforms into Lorkhan.[http://c0da.es/t/c0da C0DA] Other evidence supporting Talos' use of the Enantiomorph to achieve godhood would be that Tiber Septim himself was infrequently known as "the Enantiomorph", as said above. Due to the lack of reference to Talos being a god in The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, it can be safely assumed that Talos didn't actually become a god until after the event known as the Warp in the West, which occured in 3E 405. This shows the Underkings place in Talos' ascension as it wasn't until the Warp that he actually died, implying that his death may have been the final step in the apotheosis of Talos.Events of Note The following list was created by the ex-developer Michael Kirkbride and was made to list Lorkhan's avatars. The lists exclusion of Pelinal Whitestrake has led many to believe that it is only listing the Shezarrines associated with the god Talos. Note how it lists names normally believed to be synonymous (such as Hjalti, Talos, Septim) as separate entities. '''Lorkhan and his avatars: :1. Wulfharth L :2. Hjalti O :3. Ysmir R :4. Talos K :5. Arctus H :6. Septim A :7. N (probably The Last Dragonborn) References Category:Lore: Characters Category:Lore: Concepts